Thermometer



Feb. 6, 1940. BARKER 2,189,123

THERMOMETER Filed March a, 1937 INVENTOR Ma d N- Em lem ATTORNEYS Patented Feb. 6, 1940 unrrnusmres PATENT- OFFICE THERMOMETER Howard H. Barker, South Orange, N. J., assignor to ,Weksler Thermometer Corporation Application March a, 1937, Serial No. 128,706

3 Claims. (01. 73-352) facilitate cleaning of the member on which the scale is marked.

A roast meter constructed in accordance with the present inventioncomprises a tubular casing made of metal or other heat-conducting material and provided atone end with a skewer point. Within the casing is a thermometer which is in closely contacting engagement with the inner wall of the casing near the skewer point. Preferably, the thermometer is of the common liquid type with the bulb disposed near the pointed end of the casing, and a portion of the capillarytube is exposed through alongitudinal slotinthe casing near the opposite end thereof. Ascale is arranged near the slot in the casing by which the level of the liquid column of the thermometer tube may be readin terms of degreesintemperature or the like. The scale is preferably arranged on a panel mounted on the metallic casing and removable therefrom. .In the preferred iorm of the new device, the thermometer andtheskewer point are likewise removable from the casing.-

It will be apparent that with the new construe tion, the glass tube of the thermometeris protected from breakage by the metallic casingwhich surrounds it. The pointed endof the casing may be readily inserted intoga roast of meat by'application of the necessary force and without danger of breaking the thermometer. metallic skewer point at the end of the casing, the encounteringof a boneor, other obstruction in the meat will not result indamageto the device. When the pointed end of the casing is inserted in l l the meat, the heat from the meat iscon ducted by the metallic casing to the glass bulb of the thermometer, and the levellof the liquid column in the thermometer will rise to a positionwhere it may be viewed through the slot in the casing, and readon the scale. The panel-and thermometer tube may be quickly removed from the casing to facilitate cleaning of thedevice'. Since the roast,

' meter may be readily ,clisassen'lbled,v the parts thereof may be easily replaced if for any reason v such replacement should be necessary.

For a more complete understandin of the in vention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure lis airont view roast meter;

Figure 2 is a rear view of the upp the device shown in Fig. 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged longitudinal se on the line 3-3 of Fig. l, w vice broken away;

This invention relates to thermometers of the type used for recording the cooking temperature a of roasts of meat or the like and commonly known as roast meters. More particularly, the inven- 5' tion is concerned with a novel roast meter of durable construction which may be more readily applied to the roast or other object to be cooked than roast meters as devised heretofore. Roast meters as commonly made include a 19 thermometer in the form of an elongated tube of glass having a capillary boreterminating ina bulb at one end of the tube. The bulb is filled with a liquid, such as alcohol, which indicates the degree of heat of thebulb by the level of the liquid column in the bore,as shown by a graduated scale. The scale is generally arranged either on a panel fixed to the tube or directly on the tube itself. When a roast of meat or the like is to be cooked, the bulb endof the thermometer tube is inserted in the meat with the scale end exposed, so that the temperature of the inside of the meat may beread on the scale;

Devices of this construction are open to several objections, themost serious of which is the 5 difficulty encountered in inserting the thermometer into the meat. The bulbend of the glass tube is generally formed with a point so that the tubemay be forced into the meat more readily, but even with a pointed bulb considerableforce is required to insert the tube into a large roast. If too much force is applied to the tube, however, there danger that it will break. Also, if a bone is encountered the point of the bulb may break, thereby rendering the roast meter useless and possibly contaminating the meat with the contents of the bulb.

Anotherobjectionable feature of roast meters as devised heretofore is the arrangement of the scale for readingthe temperature. In devices in 40 which the scale is marked on the thermometer tube itself, the scale can be read only with difficulty due to the limited size of the graduations.

On the other hand, when the scale is marked on a panel fixed to the tube, the device does not lend itself to easy cleaning. During the cooking of roasts, juice from the meat often spatters on the panel and hardens behind the thermometer tube Where it is inaccessible.

50 The present invention is directed to the provision of a novel roast meter which may be readily inserted into a roast of meat or the like without danger of breaking the thermometer. In addition, the new roast meter in its preferred 55 form may be quickly and easily disassembled to By reason of the ofone form of the new ith part of thedeer part of the common liquid type.

Figure 4 is a front view of the panel of the device shown in Fig. 1; and

Figure 5 is a section on the line 55 of Fig. 4.

In the drawing, the numeral It indicates a hollow cylindrical casing made of a heat-conducing material, preferably metal. The lower end of the casing II] is internally threaded to receive the threaded shank I I of a skewer point I2. The skewer point is likewise of metal and is formed to fit closely against the lower end of casing I0. Mounted in the casing I and removable therefrom is a glass thermometer I3 of Preferably, the outside diameter of the glass tube of the thermometer is slightly less than the inside diameter of the casing I0, and the bulb I l of thethermometer has substantially the same diameter as the inside of the casing so that it closely engages the inner wall of the casing near the skewer point I2, as shown in Fig. 3.

The casing Ill near its upper end is provided in front with a longitudinal slot I which exposes the upper portion of the capillary bore in the thermometer I3. A panel I 6, preferably of metal, is mounted on the back of casing Iil behind the longitudinal slot I5 and is marked with graduations and suitable indicia to indicate the required cooking temperature for various kinds of meat, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. As shown particularly in Figs. 4 and 5, the panel I6 is bent along the center line thereof to form a substantially semi-circular section It conforming-to the contour of the back of casing Ill. The panel is removably secured to the casing With the curved section It in engagement with theback thereof, and to this end I provide the panel at the bottom with an upwardly extending central slot I'I and'at the top with an integral ear is which extends forwardly from the back of the curved portion It. When the panel I6 is mounted on the casing, the upper end of the casing extends through an opening in the ear I8, and the lower end of the panel is held against the casing by the head of a pin -I9 which is fixed on the casing and disposed in the slot H. An endtcap 20 threaded'on the upper end of the. casing holds the ear I8 of the panel in engagement with a shoulder 2i on the casing and thereby prevents upward movement of the panel on the casing; "Preferably, the cap 20 near the top is provided with a tranverse opening through which extends a ring 22 for suspending the device on a hook or the like when the device is not in use.

It will be observed that in the new roast meter, the thermometer I3 is housed in the'casing I I] which protects the thermometer against breakage. The pointed end of the casing It may be readily insertedinto a roast of meat or the like without danger of breaking the thermometer or the skewer point. When the pointed end of the device is lodged in the meat, the heat from the meat is conducted through the metallic casing to the bulb Id of the thermometer. Accordingly, the liquid column in the capillary bore of the thermometer willrise to -a level commensurate with the temperature of the meat. When the level of the liquid column in the thermometer has risen sufliciently, it may be viewed through the 2,189,123 opening I5 in the casing and tempered with the scale on panel I6.

When the device is to be cleaned, the end cap 20 is unscrewed from the upper end of the casing and the panel I 6 removed by sliding it upwardly over the top of the casing, so that pin I9 is withdrawn from the slot I! and the threaded upper end of the casing is withdrawn from the opening in the ear I8. The ther- .mometer I3 may be drawn out of the casing from the top, and preferably the upper end of the thermometer is formed with an enlargement 23 so that it may be more readily grasped in removing it from the casing. It will be apparent that if the skewer point I2 should in any way become damaged, it may be readily replaced by unscrewing it from the lower end of the casing and inserting another point.

I claim:

1. A temperature indicating device comprising an elongated casing, a thermometer in the casing contacting the inner wall of the casing near one end thereof, the casing having an opening in its side wall near the opposite end for exposing at least a portion of the indicating means of the thermometer, a pin projecting from the side wall of said casing intermediate the ends thereof, an indicia bearing plate mounted on the casing near said opening and having a slot extending upwardly from its lower end in which said pin is engaged, a lateral projection on the upper end of the plate having an opening through which the upper end of the casing extends, and a removable member mounted on the upper end of the casing in engagement with the upper surface of said projection. 1

2. A temperature indicating device comprising an elongated casing, a thermometer in the casing contacting the inner wall of the casing near one end thereof and removable from the opposite end of the casing, the casing having a shoulder near said opposite end and an opening in its side wall near said opposite end for exposing at least a portion of the indicating means of the thermometer, a panel removably mounted on the casing having a scale marked thereon, said panel including a portion substantially surrounding the casing to hold the panel in position thereon, and a cap removably mounted on said opposite end of the casing for securing the thermometer against removal therefrom and for clamping said portion of the panel against the shoulder.

' 3. A temperature indicating device comprising an elongated casing, a thermometer in the casing contacting the inner wall of the casing near one end thereof and having indicating means visible through an opening in the casing, a panel removably mounted on the casing and having a scale marked thereon and a slot extending upwardly from the lower end of the panel, and a headed pin on the casing intermediate its ends engaged in the slot to secure the panel to the casing in a predetermined position relative to said opening, the panel being movable upwardly along the casing to withdraw the pin from the slot.

HOWARD H. BARKER. 

